Vanderbilt Football Wide Receiver Kayleb Barnett No Longer With Program After Being Arrested On Three Charges – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt wide receiver Kayleb Barnett was arrested Saturday night and charged with a count of aggravated assault by strangulation, identity theft and false identification. The strangulation and identity theft charges were labeled as felonies while the false identification charge is considered a misdemeanor.
He is no longer a part of the program, per a statement from Vanderbilt.
"We are aware of the situation," the statement said. "Kayleb Barnett violated team and university standards and is no longer with the program."
Barnett posted a $5,000 dollar bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 13 at 10:30 a.m. for a settlement hearing.
The bond assigned to Barnett for his strangulation charge was $3,500, his identity theft charge generated a $1,000 bond and his false identification charge added another $500. The cases were posted on the Howard Gentry Criminal Court Clerk website over the weekend.
The officer on scene described seeing 20-year-old Kayleb Barnett holding someone in a chokehold. Then, when authorities arrived on scene, the officer “observed the victim fall to the ground, motionless, appearing to be unconscious, with a substantial amount of blood surrounding his person that was emanating from the victim,” per the arrest report.
Law enforcement said they detained Barnett without incident, adding that the alleged victim woke up shortly afterward. A witness said Barnett was in a fight in which he threw the first punch, but Barnett said the alleged victim threw the first punch — which he claims he dodged before holding him down, allegedly to prevent the "vicitim" from continuing to be physical with him.
Barnett has seven receptions for 36 yards this season and a long of 12 yards through the first six games of the 2026 season. He was listed as a second-string receiver on its depth chart prior to Vanderbilt's 52-17 loss to Ole Miss. Barnett has played 51 total snaps as a sophomore this season. He finished his freshman season with six receptions, 53 receiving yards, 29 rushing yards on six attempts and a touchdown. Barnett also returned a kick for 21 yards against Iowa in Vanderbilt's ReliaQuest Bowl loss.
“He's got great hands. He finds his way open, he catches the ball really well,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said last season. “Kayleb is a resilient person. He believes in himself.”
Barnett made a name off of contributing to Vanderbilt's 10-3 season in 2025 as a gadget piece in spite of his 5-foot-8 frame. He was Vanderbilt's shortest scholarship player a year ago and one of just four players on its roster listed below 5-foot-10. Barnett told Vandy on SI last season that he has a chip on his shoulder because of his desire to prove that his size doesn't have to define him.
Vanderbilt was the only FBS program to offer Barnett — who was a non-ranked prospect at that stage before eventually being labeled as a three-star recruit — out of high school after running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at one of Vanderbilt's camps in the summer prior to his senior year of high school. That speed immediately translated as Vanderbilt used Barnett in the first drive of his first college game and never stopped including him in game lans.
His future with Vanderbilt football is unclear at this stage.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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